In stratum disposal of radioactive waste matter, the radioactive waste matter is stabilized into vitrified matter, the vitrified matter is then stored in an airtight condition in a thick steel plate-made airtight container called an overpack, and the overpack is then positioned and buried in a bedrock having a depth as much as several hundred to several ten hundred meter underground, for instance, through a buffer material (bentonite-contained mixed soil or the like).
FIG. 18 shows one exemplified stratum disposal site, which is composed of access galleries 2 (vertical shafts 2a, inclined shafts 2b and spiral galleries) that interconnect ground facilities 1 and underground facilities, a large number of disposal galleries 3 that are to position the waste matter (overpack), main galleries 4 that run round the disposal galleries and transfer galleries 5 that interconnect the main galleries. Incidentally, a disposal panel 6 is constructed as a divisional unit composed of the disposal gallery 3 and the main gallery 4 that runs round the above disposal gallery. The advantages of dividing an area for disposal of the waste matter into several independent panels are that flexible layout may be effected depending on geological environmental conditions or the like of the disposal site to ensure that principal works such as construction, operation and closing-up are executable independently in parallel on each panel basis.
In the stage of construction, the construction of the underground facilities and the ground facilities takes place. In the stage of operation, works such as accepting of the vitrified matter, charging of the overpack with the vitrified matter, manufacturing of the buffer material, carrying and positioning of the waste matter and the buffer material and refilling of the disposal galleries and the main galleries mainly take place. In the stage of closing-up, works such as refilling of the transfer galleries and the access galleries and disassembling and dismantling of the ground facilities mainly take place.
In the above stratum disposal site, methods conventionally available as a method of carrying the waste matter and the buffer material from the ground to the underground site and a method of positioning the waste matter and the buffer material in a disposal space are as follows. Incidentally, there are provided Japanese Patent Laid-open Nos. 2001-166093, 9-61594, 9-61595 and 9-61596 etc. as the reference to documents on the related art.    (1) Method of Carrying Waste Matter and Buffer Material (See FIG. 18)
(a) Method (of vertical shaft system) of carrying waste matter A and a buffer material B from the ground to the underground site by using an individual lifting equipment 50 in each access vertical shaft 2a 
(b) Method (of inclined shaft system) of carrying the waste matter A and the buffer material B from the ground to the underground site by using an individual travelling carrying machine 51 that travels through each access inclined shaft 2b     (2) Method of Positioning Waste Matter and Buffer Material (See FIG. 18)
FIG. 18 shows a pattern of lengthwise arrangement of disposal holes, wherein a plurality of vertical disposal holes 7 are constructed in the bottom of the disposal gallery 3 at intervals in a longitudinal direction of the gallery, and the waste matter A is positioned and buried in a lengthwise arrangement in each disposal hole 7. The waste matter A and the buffer material (block) B are carried after being transshipped into an individual automatic remote control positioning apparatus 5, and positioning takes place in such a manner that {circle around (1)} a lower buffer material block B is firstly positioned in each disposal hole 7 by using a remote control robot (a handling device) of the automatic remote control positioning apparatus 52, {circle around (2)} the waste matter A is then positioned in the buffer material block B, given by the above positioning, by using the remote control robot, and {circle around (3)} an upper buffer material block B is then positioned on the waste matter A by using the remote control robot.
Incidentally, other waste matter positioning and burying patterns than the above pattern of lengthwise arrangement of disposal holes include patterns such as a pattern of horizontal arrangement of disposal galleries, wherein horizontal or inclined disposal galleries are constructed by excavation in parallel at prescribed intervals between a pair of main galleries at the left and right sides, and the waste matter A is positioned and buried in a horizontal arrangement in each disposal gallery at prescribed intervals in the longitudinal direction of the gallery, a pattern of lengthwise arrangement of disposal vertical shafts, wherein vertical disposal galleries (disposal vertical shafts) are constructed by excavation in parallel at prescribed intervals between the main gallery at the upper side and the gallery at the lower side, and the waste matter A is positioned and buried in a lengthwise arrangement in each disposal gallery at prescribed intervals in a vertical direction, and a pattern of horizontal arrangement of disposal holes, wherein horizontal disposal holes are constructed by excavation in the opposite side wall parts of the disposal gallery at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the gallery, and the waste matter A is positioned and buried in a horizontal arrangement in each disposal hole.
In addition, the buffer material B includes mixed soil or the like mainly containing bentonite. The bentonite-contained mixed soil is a material having dynamic buffering functions, low permeability and low diffusibility of radioactive matter, in other words, a material that is effective in reducing bedrock pressure or underground water effects to ensure that retardation of nuclide migration is achievable.    (1) Problems of the conventional method of carrying the waste matter and the buffer material
(a) In the case of vertical shaft system, there is a possibility of bringing about a fall of the waste matter a. The fall of the waste matter, if caused, is likely to lead to serious disasters.
(b) In the case of the vertical shaft system, a dead load of a wire rope of the lifting equipment 50 increases with greater shaft depth, so that a remarkable reduction in permissible lifting capacity (a waste matter weight obtained by taring the rope dead load) is caused.
(c) In the case of the vertical shaft system, it is difficult to increase a lifting speed, because of the possibility of being in danger of the fall of the waste matter A and the necessity to decrease a load applied to the wire rope.
(d) In the case of the inclined shaft system, application of a load to a speed reduction (stopping) device of the traveling carrying machine 51 is caused. When the speed reduction device develops troubles, there is a fear that runaway of the waste matter A occurs, leading to serious disasters.
(e) In the case of the inclined shaft system, an increase of reliability on control of the traveling carrying machine 51 requires an expensive machine.
(f) In the case of the inclined shaft system, arrangements of the secondary equipment such as rail and traction wire arrangements are required, leading to an increase in cost.    (2) Problems of the Conventional Method of Positioning the Waste Matter and the Buffer Material
(a) An extremely precise automatic remote control positioning apparatus 52 is required for execution of individual positioning of the waste matter A and the buffer material B in the disposal holes or the like, leading to an increase in cost.
(b) If the positioning results in a failure, it is difficult to effect restoration by an automatic remote control operation.
(c) For the positioning of the buffer material blocks in the disposal holes or the like in such a manner as to divide the buffer material into blocks, it is difficult to secure a buffer material quality obtained after the positioning of the buffer material.
While the above problems are those given in the stage of operation, the same problems as those shown in the above section (1) are also created in the stage of construction of the disposal galleries, since the carrying-out of the excavation chips and the carrying-in of the materials and equipment for construction of the disposal galleries are effected also by using the lifting equipment 50 or the traveling carrying machine 52 in the access galleries 2 in the stage of construction.